Fomicry II : Return of Memory
by Nijuu
Summary: After Jade sends him back to Baticul, Luke is diagnosed with amnesia; but this time, it's real. It's up to Jade and a certain revived hero to get Luke's memory back. And with the help of old friends, Luke just might owe his life to fomicry again. HIATUS.
1. Introduction : Rebirth

FOMICRY II - Return of Memory

Introduction - Rebirth

One year from Fomicry I

--

_"Where...?"_

White light streamed down from the ceiling with a fake fluorescence, illuminating the equally blinding room, bleached of all color. Dead silence hung in the air with a bland presence, and the small gray shadows sat in rest, giving outlines to the snowy white furniture; what little there was.

Two eyes blinked open, only to close again in pain at the direct sight of the radiant gleam. A groan was emitted, but not heard; a figure lying on a centered table stirred to sit up, but failed. The eyes, however, reawakened and took a long, strained look around the peaceful nothing.

_"Am I...dead? No..."_

The cold of the table pulsed through the palm and arm of the figure, bringing him to awareness that he was still, miraculously, inevitably alive. He hissed through his teeth at the dull but insistent pain in his every nerve as he hoisted himself to an upright seated position, swinging his legs to dangle weakly over tiled floor below. Without the energy to stand, the man sat in recovery, still squinting at the intolerable surroundings.

Slowly, he turned his aquamarine eyes to his body. He still had all his limbs, still wore the bloodied dark ensemble, and still had the scabbard fastened loyally to his side. He stared at his hands, the material of his gloves stained with dried blood, making them stiff. They were instinctively removed and his hands then went to his hair. It was long, longer in fact, and as he pulled its length in front of him, he saw that it was still the same shade of dark red.

"How can I-!" He stopped at the sound of his voice, so clear and loud in the small room, where his voice did anything but echo. The vivid reality of the moment spurred the man from his seat on the table, levering him to the floor with a tap. He scanned the area briefly before he sighted a mirror and moved over to it quickly. Leaning forward and bedaubing the foggy surface, he gasped at the sight beneath it.

His face was as pale as a sheet, his eyes misty with exhaustion. He raised his hand level with his face and could see the faint blue of his veins and the shape of his bones beneath his chalky skin. He'd lost weight, explaining his tiredness. But, staring with defiance into the mirror, he was really there. Living and breathing. Asch Fon Fabre was alive again.

A clang outside made Asch jump, and taking one last look around the room, he reached for the doorknob and wrenched the door open. Before him now was blackness, a counterpart to the frosted, sleeping white behind him. Far to his left, within the blackness, stood a small, flickering light. To his right, at an equal distance, was a small lamp. He started for the lamp.

As he left the white room, it became black. The fluorescent light went out with him. He had nothing to turn back to now.

Asch hastened along the black, straight path until he reached the lamp. It was small, and illuminated a reception desk. Looking at the files behind the counter, he saw scattered sheets. Medical reports. Narrowing his eyes, his lips parted in confusion. "I'm in...a hospital..."

"Hello?!" He tore down the hall after leaving the reception counter. Flickering near dead lights kept his path, but he seemed to go nowhere. "Is anybody here?!" Slamming another door open, it was empty. "Somebody answer me!"

The path of lights ended and Asch walked lethargically into the abyss of murky ebony. He hugged himself for warmth, shivering against the cold. Closing his eyes, for he didn't seem to need them, the man let out a sigh. The darkness didn't scare him, but it made him uneasy. This abandoned hospital made him feel lonely and detached. How long had he been out? How had he gotten here? What brought him back? Where was everybody?!

His musings were interrupted as his face collided with an abrupt wall, making him step back. He felt before him and discovered he hadn't run into a wall, but a door. He pulled it open with no hesitation and was once again met with light; this time, sunlight.

It was cloudy, and the smell of the forest was around him. Letting his eyes adjust, Asch held a hand to his brow for shade and saw Belkend. The City of Fontech, and he had been in Dr. Shu's hospital wing.

But the mysterious lack of population still pulled at his mind as he started for the exit. There wasn't a person in sight. _Maybe_, Asch thought, _I've been out so long, there was an extinction and I'm the only survivor. _His hand involuntarily moved to his sword hilt, but was met with emptiness. Stopping in his tracks, Asch looked down at his empty scabbard.

"No way," he said to himself. "The Sword of Lorelei..."

Asch struggled to recall the last time he had it, but couldn't find anything. However, his mind was filled with a number of unfamiliar thoughts. They were cloudy and indistinct, but blocked his attempts to search his memory properly. "What's going on...? What is all this?"

Again he was cut short of thinking as thunder rumbled overhead. "Whatever it is, I've got to get out of here. There has to be someone else in this place besides me." Running from the city limits, Asch couldn't help but smile to himself. He was alive again.


	2. Warning

CHAPTER 1 - Warning

--

: 3 months later :

Shouts rang out across the battlefield with more malevolance than ever before. The battle was vicious, and the scent of blood heavily masked the air around the soldiers. Casualties lied strewn across the grass in piles of their own crimson, and those who still lived strived to avenge their fallen comrades. "Kill Malkuth!" and "Down with Kimlasca!" burst through the ears of the fighters, reminding them of their duty.

The bronze of a Kimlascan sword whistled over the head of one Malkuth soldier as they ducked and rolled to the side. Without blinking an eye, the blue-coat pierced his spear through the side of the soldier, breaking the armor. Blood spilled from the wound and the side of the Kimlascan's mouth as the spear was shoved through. Once it was protruding from the person's other side, the spear disappeared with a well-known golden flash and the soldier fell.

The Malkuthian Colonel stood and slipped a wisp of his long amber hair back, sighing with boredom. A fonon cannon boomed in the distance and smoke appeared far to the left of the battlefield, consuming several soldiers within its cloud. "Colonel Curtiss," someone said from behind. "I've got bad news."

The Colonel turned to face Aslan Frings, the Brigadier General for the country of Malkuth. "What is it?"

Frings looked up at the midday sun, concealed partially behind dusky clouds. "Kimlasca has summoned reinforcements. Within the next twenty minutes, we'll be outnumbered three to one. I think we should retreat; we do have a lot of injured soldiers. Emperor Peony says we need to salvage anything we can, including our troops I'm sure." The listener said nothing, only looked down at the blood-stained grass. "Jade?"

Jade laughed quietly and shook his head, then turned his eyes to Frings once more. "Frings, if you don't mind me saying this, retreat sounds like a foolish idea. I can still fight, and you look well enough, so until we receive direct orders from the General, we should keep fighting." The spear, now glistening with a cleansed polish, reappeared in Jade's gloved hand as four Kimlascans dashed toward them.

"A-are you sure?" Frings asked, readying his own sword.

Twirling his weapon from hand to hand, Jade gave Frings a side glance. "You're just afraid to run into that Cecille woman, aren't you?" he taunted with a sly smile.

Frings clenched his sword hilt tighter and narrowed his eyes. "Let's just hope she's not fighting with this brigade today." With that, the four enemies were within range, and Frings stepped forward. "Get ready!"

"No problem," Jade said easily, twisting around one charging soldier and impaling him through the back. The Kimlascan screamed with agony as the forgein metal severed his heart and sternum, killing him instantly. Another opponent brought their sword down on Jade, who then stepped aside and allowed the man to unintentionally behead his killed friend. While the adversary recovered from the sight, Jade took his sword and struck him on the head with it, knocking him down.

"Too easy," Frings added as he walked over. He and Jade exchanged glances and nodded, then plunged their swords into the writhing man's lungs. Within seconds, he was gone.

Jade took a glance at Frings enemies, who were lying face down in death. "Surrender, Malkuth!" the two heard, coming from overhead. An aircraft flew over them, and two or three black dots were seen, gradually becoming larger.

Grabbing Frings's hand and pulling him against himself, Jade closed his eyes and extended his free arm to the side. "Guardian!" A large, blue dome appeared around the two, sheltering them as a multitude of bombs hit the ground. The radiation steamed in from the sides, causing the two to cough, but they were unscathed otherwise. "That was close."

"Aircrafts now," Frings said, smearing a smoke-induced tear from his eye. "They sure are getting serious." Another cannon fired, and more smoke filtered in around them. They ran out of it, cutting down whatever red soldiers they saw. Once they were out of the turbid vapor, they reached the top of a hill and simultaneously gasped at the sight below.

The entire battlefield was covered with red soldiers. Kimlasca flags were posted into the ground, as if already signaling their victory. Landships with scarlet sails pervaded the fields, and the Malkuth population was significantly less prominent. There were even maroon airships dropping orange-clouded bombs, wreaking havoc upon the Malkuth forces. The reinforcements were everywhere.

Jade and Frings slowly turned to each other. Frings said nothing, and Jade opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. After a pause, he continued, "Go ahead and order a retreat." Frings nodded in agreement and started for the General.

: Grand Chokmah Palace :

"War threats have increased severely," the Emperor stated to Sesemann, who was standing loyally beside the throne. Tossing the paper aside, Peony laid back in the chair and closed his eyes. "I never thought this day would come."

"We have company, sir!" Nordheim pointed out, turning to Peony. The door that had been opened earlier closed and two figures approached calmly. Peony fought to maintain his own calmness as his eyes fixed on his two best soldiers.

Jade and Frings stood side by side before the Emperor, bowing with mirror-like movement and standing at straight attention. "At ease." The soldiers loosened up a little and Peony sighed deeply. "I'm glad you two are alright. After I heard about the retreat, I didn't know what to expect."

"We're alright, but barely." Frings ran a hand through his light hair and took a deep breath. "The battle tensions out there were fierce. Kimlasca was using tactics that we'd forbidden a long time ago! If I ever get my hands on those dirty redcoats, I'll-!" Jade placed a hand on Frings's shoulder to still him.

"Frings is right. We saw a good deal of bombs dropped by fighter planes and they seemed to rely greatly on man-made artillery such as cannons. I'm sure you heard that they'd sent in reinforcements." Jade shook his head. "I had no idea Kimlasca had such an immense army."

Peony shifted positions, looking away from his company and at the cascading water around the walls. "They do own a lot of land, so I expect they're drafting a lot more soldiers than us." He brushed the rest of his worry away with a smile. "Well I always say quality over quantity, so get some rest you guys."

"By your leave," Jade said, bowing again and turning for the exit.

"_Jade_," Peony warned. "You know you can cut the formalities any time."

The Colonel glanced over his shoulder, meeting Peony's eye with his own. "Just doing my job," he said lightly, and left room.

The Emperor tilted his head and sighed again in exasperation. "I worry about him sometimes."

. . . . . .

That evening, Jade arrived at his office after a conference with the other soldiers. The room was dark, dimly lit by the fonon activated lamp on the desk. The man unfastened his uniform coat and hung it by the door, where a small white envelope was on the floor. Having overlooked it when he came in, he picked it up and read the back. _Dr. Balfour._

Seeing that name made Jade grimace in revulsion as he walked back to his desk, taking a seat. He tore the envelope open with his fingernail, exposing an equally white piece of paper. Slipping it out, he saw it was from the Belkend Counsel, as well as Spinoza.

He skimmed over the contents, bored with whatever Belkend could possibly have to say to "Dr. Balfour". Anyone who still called him that didn't deserve to have him read about them. He was mildly surprised about the situation, but threw the note in the trash anyway. _Great_, he thought to himself. _Now this whole thing has me thinking about Fomicry._

To the side of his desk were the Fomicry results taken from over a year ago, on Luke Fon Fabre's replica. He hadn't seen Luke in so long; a year ago they had decided to go their separate ways, putting the comatose Asch into the care of Dr. Shu in Belkend. No one was sure about his recovery or even what state he was in at the time, but they trusted the Doctor with his life. What else could they have done?

Too tired to think straight, Jade attempted to review the Fomicry details, just to recall on his progress. There was a footnote on one of the research pages that Jade started to read, but before he knew it, night was upon him and he fell asleep over the records on his desk.

. . . . . .

Susanne glanced over at her son, sitting in thoughtful silence. The manor in Baticul was quiet at the moment, everything proceeding as normally since the Duke's son had returned. Well, about as normal as it could get, considering the circumstances. Jade had returned Luke, but told the family that nothing could be done about his amnesia. He was still thankful for the research and they hoped that over the next year, Malkuth would be able to develop a remedy.

This, of course, had been a lie, but as far as Mrs. Fabre knew, things only went from bad to worse for Luke. Something more serious was at hand now, besides the war. Luke sat at the table, staring at his reflection lazily on the tabletop glass surface. Just then, Duke Fabre entered, a look of anger on his face. "Damn those Malkuth bastards!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. The interruption caused Luke to look up with surprise, but he said nothing. "I swear, if I ever see another one of those-"

"Dear, please calm down!" Susanne advised, ushering him to sit. "We have a more important matter at hand right now..." She turned her concerned eyes to her son, who ignored her. "What are we going to do?" she whispered to the Duke.

"What do you mean?" the Duke demanded harshly, vexation rushing his temper. "What are we going to do about what?"

Susanne turned her back on Luke and leaned closer her husband. "About Luke's..._problem_."

The Duke softened immediately, looking down at the floor. "Ah, right." Shaking his head, he added, "I still find it all so hard to believe. Another rift in his memory, and after all that research we had conducted." Susanne nodded knowingly. "Luke...I can't believe he lost his memory of the past two years. How long ago did this occur again?"

"I don't know," the woman replied. "But with war threats the way they are, we will need Luke-"

"Right," the Duke interrupted. "We'll need him for a soldier. Having forgotten everything that occured when he was away on amnesia research..." He stopped, laughing quietly. "I guess it's only natural that after all that research, he would get amnesia _again_."

"So Luke lost his memory of us when he was ten, then when he was sixteen, they took him away to help him recover those memories." Looking away, Susanne sighed in defeat. "And just recently, as war tensions are becoming more severe, he lost him memory again, even if only of the past year or two. Right now, I don't know what he remembers and what he's forgotten! He needs to get help as soon as possible."

Taking a drink of water, Duke Fabre glared at the floor. "It's all because of that damned Malkuth! Taking him away for research, how absurd! There's not a single thing that country is good for. Anyone who trusts those fools has got to be one themselves!" Susanne was about to request that he stay on the topic of Luke, but the man outburst again. "I'll never trust another Malkuthian as long as I live!"

"Oh stop being so counterproductive already!" The two adults turned in surprise to see Luke's servant, casually polishing a wine glass he'd taken from the shelf. "Your Grace," he added with a wry smile, saving himself from punishment. The Duke smiled with less honesty and Susanne beamed with delight at the sight of her son's best friend.

"Gailardia, do you have any ideas about how to cure Luke?" the Duke asked with reluctance. Guy set the glass aside and walked over to the two, wiping his hands with the polishing rag. "After all, you might know a little more about this than us since we sent you to monitor the research."

Guy stopped and gasped silently. He'd hoped that the subject of Jade's "research" wouldn't come up so he wouldn't have to lie; and it hadn't in the past year, but now he might be forced to give Jade away. Despite having been threatened by Jade if anything got out, the servant didn't want to lie to his master's parents. "Guy?"

"Uh, yes? Sorry." Guy scratched his head in trying to think of something to recommend. "Maybe...there's a doctor in Belkend that I've heard of. Don't you know him?"

"Dr. Shu? Yes, I remember him." Susanne raised her eyebrows. "I haven't heard much from him though lately. Maybe Dr. Shu went out of business, or Belkend could be under Malkuth seige."

"Belkend?" The trio turned to the source of the voice. Luke stood from the table and crossed his arms, a blank look on his face. "The City of Fontech shut down six months ago." Susanne gasped, and Luke went on. "And I don't know what you guys are talking about, but if it's about me, I'm fine."

Susanne looked down at her hands. "A city of Kimlasca, shut down completely? How did you know that, dear?"

Luke shrugged. "Just read the news. It's a pretty big deal." He coursed his fingers through his cardinal red hair that reached to just below his shoulders. "Now if you're worrying about me, I'm just fine!"

"No you aren't," Guy countered, walking over to the near-eighteen boy. "You may not know it, but we have to get help for you."

"H-hey, back off!" Luke took a step back. "I said I'm alright! So what if I have a few holes in my memory, isn't that normal?"

Guy looked back at Luke's parents worriedly. "No." Luke flinched. "Look, don't worry about it. We're gonna take care of this."

"Shut up! I _said _I don't need your help!" Luke turned to leave but Guy caught him, holding him tightly by the shoulders. "Let go of me!" He found himself face to face with his servant despite his struggles and protests. "Guy, I _command_ you to let me-"

"You didn't use to be this mean! Calm down already!" Guy fought to hold Luke still, but the rebel freed one of his arms and used it to punch his servant across the face. He was immediately released as Guy stepped back, pressuring the injury. "What the hell was _that_ for?!"

"Luke!" Susanne called as the boy darted from the Drawing Room. They heard a door slam somewhere and decided to let him go. "My, what's gotten into him lately? He's so violent."

A maid walked in with a small bag of ice, which she applied to Guy's nascent bruise. "I also have noticed an increase in his temper flarings," she pointed out. "Do you think he's alright? He used to be so calm, expect whenever Master Van was around." She and Guy couldn't help but stifle their laughter, but the two adults seemed to think of something.

"Van, that's right!" Duke Fabre picked up a piece of paper from the table and a pen. "I'm sure he'll know what to do about Luke's amnesia. Van has always been there to help Luke with anything. He should be willing to aid in this, seeing that it's so important." After scribbling a short message on the paper, he summoned a carrier pigeon and it was sent.

"Good thinking, Your Grace!" The maid carefully lifted the ice from Guy's wound, which was slightly discolored and swollen. "Ouch. Luke certainly has gotten stronger over the years as well. And faster, too." Guy gave the girl an offended look. "Not to say that you're slow or anything, Guy! I just wonder what could be upsetting him."

"It's his training," Duke Fabre mentioned. "We all know how Malkuth has been much stronger with their war threats. It's only natural that Luke should undergo the proper soldier training to defend himself, since we never know when he may be requested to fight. He's been working very hard lately, and he understands war better than ever." Though the father smiled with pride, Susanne herself was worried.

"That may also explain his violence and short-tempered impulses." The woman sighed and gathered her gown in her hands, making for another room. "Well, I appreciate your help Gailardia, and I hope you feel better soon."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Guy returned, and she left. The maid dismissed herself and the rest of the afternoon passed in silence.

A few hours later, just as twilight was setting in, Duke Fabre received a letter. "Could it be?" Guy appeared by his side and the maid from earlier showed up too. "I'll read it allowed. '_I am grateful for your request of my assistance concering Luke. I would be obliged to help him in any way. This week, I'll be passing by Baticul, so if you would like, I could examine Luke then. Again, I appreciate it and will do anything in my power to help. Sincerely, Vandesdelca Grants._'"

"That's great news!" the maid cheered, jumping up and down with delight. "I'm so glad Luke will be able to return to normal! Master Van can do everything!"

Guy, however, stood still and didn't so much as smile. Fingering the bandage over his bruise, he turned to look outside at the dimming Baticul scenery. "Yeah. After all, Luke needs all the help he can get."

"We still don't know for sure what Van can do. Once he shows up, I'll explain the circumstances." Duke Fabre rested his arm on a nearby chair, turning the letter over in his fingers. "All Luke needs is his memory. Then maybe he'll start acting like he used to." Slow footsteps were heard and they looked over at the hallway.

"You talking about me again?" Luke accused, glaring at the three. He focused on Guy and felt a shallow pang of guilt for having hit him, but it was dismissed as easily as it had come. "You two," Luke started, referring to Guy and the maid. "Why don't you go do something productive for a change?"

The maid quickly scampered off after a bow, but Guy remained standing. "You heard me!" Luke shouted, and Guy started to leave. "Geez..."

Duke Fabre and his son sat at the table of the Drawing Room. "Luke, you should try to be nicer to your servants and the maids," the Duke started once Guy was out of sight. "Especially Guy, he's been your friend since you were a little boy. Amnesia is no excuse; you really should remember him."

"Tch, and if I don't?"

"Then be nice to him anyway because that's what a normal person would do, even if it was a stranger. It's common sense, Luke. Have respect." The man got up and left, exiting the room. On the other side of one of the interior pillars, Guy stood in the shadow, listening. He waited until Luke was gone before he left.

The tone of Van's letter discomforted Guy; it seemed cold and unfriendly. Despite the pain on his left cheek, the servant couldn't allow Van to take care of Luke's memory. He needed someone he trusted, and Van was a criminal. Thinking up a plan, Guy grabbed his coat and headed out the door, to Malkuth.


End file.
